In these tough economic times the General Assembly enacted and Governor Easley signed what they feel is the best budget possible to serve the people of North Carolina.

This budget means that the salaries of our faculty and professional staff will continue to be among the lowest in the country. As these talented and dedicated individuals leave our colleges, either by retirement or because they can find better salaries elsewhere, we will be unable to replace them with employees of the same caliber. Our students will suffer.

I am pleased that community colleges will receive full enrollment growth funding. The North Carolina Community College System will make the best use of the funds appropriated to us for meeting the needs of our students.

However, cuts made in this budget will create serious problems on our campuses and result in dramatic cuts in the classroom. These cuts mean students may not be able to find all their courses when they need them to complete their programs of study on schedule.

The North Carolina Community College System is the most capable institution in the state to turn our economy around. This budget only prolongs the economic crisis.